Chery Tiggo made a recruitment coup after tapping the services of Ponggay Gaston for its campaign in the 2023 Premier Volleyball League Open Conference set to begin next month.

The Crossovers made the announcement in a post on their official Facebook account on Sunday.

Gaston's arrival came just days after Chery Tiggo parted ways with long-time middle and winger Dindin Santiago-Manabat with a month left before the PVL unwraps on 4 February.

The Crossovers last Thursday bid farewell to 6-foot-2 Manabat, who joined the team in 2016 and helped the squad win the defunct Philippine Superliga Grand Prix crow on her first year.

Gaston is a good fit for Chery Tiggo being a versatile player who can play in both the middle and wing positions. The Ateneo de Manila University product played for the Choco Mucho Flying Titans last season.

Chery Tiggo sets its sights on a return to the top podium. The Crossovers behind Manabat and her sister Jaja Santiago won the Open Conference in 2021 on its first stint with the country's first and only women's professional volleyball league.

The team, however, finished eighth in the nine-team field in the Open Conference and last in the Invitational Conference last year.

Despite parading a rebuilding team in the season-ending Reinforced Conference, the Crossovers were able to advance in the semifinals only to miss the podium once again with a fourth place finish.